Target residual moisture content for lyophilized drug product

ABSTRACT

Lyophilization methods for preparing protein formulations for long-term storage at room temperature or improved stability at refrigeration storage are provided. Specifically, the present application provides lyophilization methods to obtain a target percentage of residual moisture of a lyophilized product, such as 3-5% residual moisture. The secondary drying of the lyophilization can be conducted under controlling rate of desorption under a temperature which is similar to the shelf temperature of the primary drying. Alternatively, the lyophilization can be conducted without a distinguished secondary drying step.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/167,527, filed Feb. 4, 2021, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/969,961, filed Feb. 4, 2020, which isherein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present application generally pertains to methods for lyophilizationof protein formulations. Specifically, the present application provideslyophilization processes to obtain a target percentage of residualmoisture of a lyophilized drug product which is stable for roomtemperature storage or has improved stability for refrigeration storage.

BACKGROUND

Most biopharmaceutical formulations are not stable in solution forlong-term storage due to various forms of degradation, aggregation orchemical modification. Lyophilization, for example, freeze-drying undercontrolled conditions, is a preferred method to convertbiopharmaceutical formulations, such as protein formulations, to a solidstate to improve the product stability for long-term storage. Thelyophilized product, for example, cake, is preferably stored at about2-8° C. and/or at room temperature for a relatively long period of time.It also may be desirable that the cake has longer storage stability atroom temperature to eliminate the requirement of refrigeration for thelate phase protein drug during commercial transportation and storagearound the world, especially in places where electricity andrefrigeration may not be reliable.

Lyophilization is a relatively expensive process requiring a longprocessing time. Key objectives of optimizing lyophilization processesmay include: optimizing the process without risking product collapse;determining the apparent end point of primary drying; and optimizingsecondary drying to achieve desirable residual moisture content of thelyophilized products. Optimization of the freeze-drying cycle for agiven biopharmaceutical formulation requires a balanced understanding ofthe lyophilization process, formulation characteristics, equipmentcapacities and practical risks associated with process parameters.(Chang et al., 2004, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists,pages 113-138, Freezing-drying process development for proteinpharmaceuticals, Lyophilization of Biopharmaceuticals)

It will be appreciated that a need exists for methods of lyophilizationwhich can generate lyophilized products having stabilities for long-termroom temperature storage or has improved stability for refrigerationstorage.

SUMMARY

Lyophilization is often a preferred method to convert biopharmaceuticalformulations to a solid state for long-term storage. The lyophilizedcake may be preferably stored at room temperature for a relatively longperiod of time. This application provides a lyophilization method toobtain a target percentage of residual moisture of a lyophilized productwhich has increased long term product stability for room temperaturestorage or has improved stability for refrigeration storage.

The conventional method of preparing a lyophilized cake comprisesplacing a formulation in a chamber of a freeze-dryer, such as placingthe formulation in containers/vials on the shelves of the lyophilizationchamber of the freeze-dryer; freezing the formulation, such as at lowshelf temperature below −30° C.; conducting primary drying on theformulation to remove the frozen solvent molecule by sublimation,wherein the primary drying is conducted at a shelf temperature of thefreeze-dryer that is relatively a low shelf temperature, for example,typically equal to or below about 0° C., under high vacuum, such asusually below 200 millitorr of a chamber pressure; and conductingsecondary drying on the formulation to remove the desorbed solventmolecules to obtain a target weight percentage of the solvent moleculein the lyophilized cake, wherein the secondary drying is conducted at arelatively high shelf temperature at or above 25° C. under high vacuum,such as below 200 millitorr of chamber pressure.

This disclosure provides a method of preparing a lyophilized cake,comprising: preparing a formulation, wherein the formulation comprisesat least one solvent molecule and a peptide or protein; subjecting theformulation to lyophilization to obtain the lyophilized cake including:(a) placing the formulation in a chamber of a freeze-dryer, such asplacing the formulation in containers/vials on the shelves of thelyophilization chamber of the freeze-dryer, (b) freezing theformulation, (c) conducting first drying, for example, primary drying,on the formulation to remove the at least one frozen solvent molecule bysublimation, wherein the first drying is conducted at a shelftemperature of the freeze-dryer that is equal to or below about 0° C.,and (d) conducting second drying, for example, secondary drying, on theformulation to remove the at least one solvent molecule to obtain atarget weight percentage of the at least one solvent molecule in thelyophilized cake, wherein the second drying is conducted at the shelftemperature of the freeze-dryer that is equal to or below about 0° C. Insome embodiments, there was no distinguished secondary drying. In someexemplary embodiments, the target weight percentage of the at least onesolvent molecule in the lyophilized cake is about 3-5%, about 4% orabout 4.5%.

In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one solvent molecule in theformulation is a water molecule. In some exemplary embodiments, thepeptide or protein in the formulation of the present application is anantibody, an antibody fragment, a Fab region of an antibody, anantibody-drug conjugate, a fusion protein, a protein pharmaceuticalproduct or a drug. In some exemplary embodiments, the lyophilized cakegenerated using the method of the present application is stable underthe storage condition at room temperature or has improved stability forrefrigeration storage.

In some aspects, the target weight percentage of the at least onesolvent molecule in the lyophilized cake of the present application iscontrolled by the shelf temperature of the freeze-dryer for the seconddrying with a controlled drying rate. In some aspects, the target weightpercentage of the at least one solvent molecule in the lyophilized cakeof the present application is controlled by a duration time for thesecond drying.

In some aspects, the shelf temperature of the freeze-dryer of the seconddrying, for example, secondary drying, can be the same as the shelftemperature of the freeze-dryer of the first drying, for example,primary drying. In some aspects, the shelf temperature of thefreeze-dryer of the second drying can be higher than the shelftemperature of the freeze-dryer of the first drying. In some aspects,the shelf temperature of the freeze-dryer of the second drying can belower than the shelf temperature of the freeze-dryer of the firstdrying. In some aspects, the shelf temperature of the freeze-dryer forthe second drying is equal to or slightly higher than the shelftemperature of the freeze-dryer for the first drying.

In some aspects, the method of the present application further comprisesdetermining an ending of the first drying based on a change of apressure in the chamber of the freeze-dryer. In some aspects, atemperature of the lyophilized cake is below a collapse temperature ofthe lyophilized cake in the first drying.

In some exemplary embodiments, the formulation of the presentapplication further comprises a buffer, an excipient, a stabilizer, acryo-protectant, a bulking agent, a plasticizer, or a combinationthereof; wherein the stabilizer is polyol, sucrose, mannitol, trehalose,sorbitol, amino acid, or a combination thereof; wherein thecryo-protectant is surfactant, sugar, salt, amino acid, or a combinationthereof. In some aspects, the buffer comprises acetate and/or histidinehydrochloride, the buffer has a pH value of about 5.3 or about 6, andthe excipient is polysorbate 80. In some aspects, the stabilizer issucrose, wherein the ratio of sucrose to the peptide or protein is about1:1, about 3:1, about 10:1, or about from 1:1 to 10:1.

These, and other, aspects of the invention will be better appreciatedand understood when considered in conjunction with the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings. The following description,while indicating various embodiments and numerous specific detailsthereof, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Manysubstitutions, modifications, additions, or rearrangements may be madewithin the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the measurements of chamber pressures in lyophilizationprocesses as indicated by Patel et al. Chamber pressure as measured by acapacitance manometer, chamber pressure as measured by the Pirani gaugeand chamber pressure set point (Vac SetPt) were plotted against dryingtime according to Patel et al.

FIG. 2 shows conventional lyophilization processes including threesteps, for example, freezing, primary drying and secondary drying. Theconventional lyophilization is conducted at three steps includingfreezing at shelf temperature about −45° C., primary drying at shelftemperature about −20° C. or about −25° C. and secondary drying athigher temperature, such as at shelf temperature about 40° C.Conventionally, the secondary drying shelf temperature, such as at about40° C., is always significantly above the primary drying shelftemperature, such as at about −20° C. or −25° C.

FIG. 3 shows a unique lyophilization process of the present applicationby conducting a secondary drying at controlling rate of desorption toachieve a target percentage of residual solvent according to anexemplary embodiment. Secondary drying of the present application isconsidered as an extension of the primary drying, which is conducted at:a low temperature, such as a temperature which is same as the shelftemperature of the primary drying; a temperature which is slightlyhigher than the shelf temperature of the primary drying; or atemperature which is lower than the shelf temperature of the primarydrying; according to an exemplary embodiment. In some aspects, there isno distinguished secondary drying.

FIG. 4 shows the use of the differences between the measurements of thePirani gauge (PG) and capacitance manometer (CM), for example, PG-CM, asindicators to define the apparent end point of primary drying, e.g.,onset, midpoint and offset, which indicated the completion of icesublimation in lyophilization processes according to Patel et al. and anexemplary embodiment. The measurements of PG-CM corresponding torelevant residual moisture percentages in the samples were indicated inthe figure according to Patel et al. and an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows rates of desorption after the completion of sublimationaccording to an exemplary embodiment. The secondary drying was conductedat same shelf temperature of the primary drying by extending the primarydrying with the shelf temperatures of 0° C., −10° C., −20° C. or −30°C., according to an exemplary embodiment. In some aspects, there was nodistinguished secondary drying.

FIG. 6 shows glass transition temperatures of the lyophilized proteinformulations corresponding to the percentages of residual moisturecontents including the recommended storage temperatures according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows measurements of chamber pressures in lyophilizationprocesses with extended duration time as measured by a capacitancemanometer (CM) and Pirani gauge (PG) according to an exemplaryembodiment. The chamber pressures were plotted against drying timeaccording to an exemplary embodiment. The difference between PG and CM,for example, (PG-CM), was used to determine the offset point of theprimary drying according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows rates of desorption after completion of ice sublimation forshelf temperature of −20° C. or −30° C. with extended duration time ofprimary drying according to an exemplary embodiment. The obtainedmoisture contents were plotted against the duration time from offsetaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Lyophilization is a common method for preparing and manufacturingprotein pharmaceuticals. Lyophilization, for example, freeze-drying, canbe used to remove ice or other frozen solvents from a proteinformulation through sublimation and to remove bound water moleculesthrough desorption. There are various challenges in selecting criticalprocess parameters to develop lyophilization processes. Conventionallyophilization of protein formulations can be carried out in threesteps, for example, freezing, primary drying (sublimation) and secondarydrying (desorption), such as freezing at about −45° C., primary dryingat about −20° C. and secondary drying at higher temperature about 40°C., about 35° C.-55° C. or about 25° C.-55° C. The dried product of theprotein formulation after the completion of primary drying can stillhave about 5-10% moisture content due to the presence of bound watermolecules which are attached to the products. Conventional secondarydrying is commonly conducted at much higher temperatures than those ofthe primary drying to reach less than about 1% or about 2% residualmoisture content, such as drying at about 40° C., about 35° C.-55° C. orabout 25° C.-55° C.

The present application provides a unique lyophilization process whichis substantially different from conventional lyophilization processes.For example, the present application provides a unique lyophilizationprocess by conducting a secondary drying at a controlling rate ofdesorption to achieve a target weight percentage of residual moisture atabout 4.0%, about 4.5% or about 3-5%. The secondary drying of thepresent application can be considered as an extension of the primarydrying, which can be conducted under a controlled rate of desorption ata temperature which is same as the shelf temperature of the primarydrying, at a temperature which is slightly higher than the shelftemperature of the primary drying or at a temperature which is lowerthan the shelf temperature of the primary drying. In one aspect, theshelf temperature of the freeze-dryer for the second drying is equal toor slightly higher than the shelf temperature of the freeze-dryer forthe first drying. Alternatively, the lyophilization can be conductedwithout a distinguished secondary drying step. The lyophilization of thepresent application is substantially different from the conventionallyophilization since the secondary drying of the present application canbe conducted at a lower temperature which is substantially lower thanthe temperature of conducting conventional secondary drying.

There are various challenges in selecting critical process parameters todevelop lyophilization processes, for example, conducting freezing,primary drying and secondary drying. Critical process parameters oflyophilization are primarily determined by the physicochemicalcharacteristics of the product formulations, such as the collapsetemperature and/or frozen state glass transition temperature (Tg′) ofthe product formulation. The drying process can be well-controlledduring the lyophilization process to avoid changes in the appearance andcharacteristics of the dried products by keeping the product temperatureat favorable low temperatures during freezing and primary drying stage.For example, the drying processes including shelf temperature, chamberpressure, duration time and ramp rate of each process stage can bewell-controlled during the lyophilization process. The presentapplication provides processes to achieve a target moisture content inthe lyophilized product by controlling the shelf temperature andduration for the secondary drying.

The freezing step of the lyophilization process includes freezing theproduct formulation to generate a solid matrix for drying. Sometimes,the freezing step may include an additional annealing step (Chang etal.) or a controlled nucleation step (Fang et al., Effect of ControlledIce Nucleation on Stability of Lactate Dehydrogenase DuringFreeze-Drying, J Pharm Sci. 2018 March, 107(3):824-830). The primarydrying step of the lyophilization process includes the removal of frozensolvent, such as ice, through sublimation by reducing the pressure whilemaintaining the product temperature at a low target level. Thesublimation process refers to changes of a substance from solid phase(such as ice) to gas phase (such as vapor) directly without goingthrough a liquid phase (such as water). Low pressures are generallyrequired for the occurrence of sublimation. Sublimation, for example, anendothermic process, occurs at temperatures and pressures which arebelow a substance's triple point in the phase diagram corresponding tothe lowest pressure at which the substance can exist as a liquid. Inaddition, since sublimation is an endothermic phase change, the additionof heat energy to the frozen substances is required that is provided bycontrolling the lyophilization shelf temperature above the producttemperature during the primary drying. The product temperature iscontrolled to be several degrees below the collapse temperature (or Tg′)by controlling both shelf temperature and chamber pressure. Thesecondary drying step of the lyophilization process includes the removalof bound water through desorption to reach desirable residual moisturecontent at a targeted level. During the drying process, the condenser iscontrolled at low temperature, for example, below −50° C.) and lowpressure for effective transformation and trapping the sublimed solventin the solid state.

The freeze-drying equipment can comprise a refrigeration system, avacuum system, a control system, a product chamber and a condenser. Theshelf temperatures of the product chamber of the freeze-dryer need to becontrolled properly for conducting primary and secondary drying. Duringthe primary drying step of the lyophilization process, the pressure ofthe chamber of the freeze-dryer can be reduced to lower than thesaturated vapor pressure of frozen solvent at the frozen producttemperature by introducing a vacuum. The primary drying step can beconsidered as reaching completion when all or substantially all frozensolvents are removed through sublimation. If there are bound unfrozensolvents remaining in the product formulation after the completion ofthe primary drying step, those can be removed by desorption at muchhigher temperatures during secondary drying for a conventionallyophilization process. (Chang et al.)

The apparent end point of primary drying (sublimation), for example,from the onset, midpoint and offset of the PG (Pirani gauge) chamberpressure, can be determined by various methods, such as comparativepressure measurement (Pirani gauge vs. capacitance manometer), dewpoint, gas plasma spectroscopy, water vapor concentration, condenserpressure, pressure rise test or product thermocouples (Patel et al.,Determination of end point of primary drying in freeze-drying processcontrol, AAPS PharmSciTech, Vol. 11, No. 1, March 2010). The Piranigauge measures the thermal conductivity of the gas in the chamber.During lyophilization, chamber pressure can be controlled using acapacitance manometer which measures the absolute pressure in thechamber. The Pirani gauge reads about 60% higher than the capacitancemanometer during primary drying when essentially all of the gas in thechamber is water vapor, since the thermal conductivity of water vapor isabout 1.6 times of the thermal conductivity of nitrogen. When the Piranipressure starts to sharply decrease, for example, the onset point, itindicates changes of gas composition from mostly water vapor tonitrogen, which can indicate the end of primary drying (Patel et al.).For example, changes of PG chamber pressure can be relevant to moisturecontent. Chamber pressure as measured by a capacitance manometer,chamber pressure as measured by the Pirani gauge and chamber pressureset points (Vac SetPt) are plotted against drying time as shown in FIG.1 (according to FIG. 7 in Patel et al.). The percentages of residualmoistures are measured by gravimetric and/or Karl Fischer methods.

Commonly, lyophilization processes include three steps, for example,freezing, primary drying and secondary drying at higher temperature. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 2 , the conventional lyophilization can beconducted at three steps including freezing at shelf temperature about−45° C. for about at least 120 minutes, primary drying at shelftemperature about −20° C. for about 1-3 days, and secondary drying atmuch higher temperature, such as about 40° C. In conventionallyophilization processes, bulk water can be removed by sublimation undera vacuum during primary drying at low temperature, such as in the rangeof from about −10° C. to about −35° C. of shelf temperature, or fromabout −40° C. to about −45° C. of shelf temperatures. During secondarydrying, the bound unfrozen water remaining in the product can be removedby rapid desorption at high temperature, such as at about 40° C. ofshelf temperature, as shown in FIG. 2 . Commonly, the residual moisturecontent of the lyophilized product can reach less than about 1% byapplying conventional secondary drying at high temperature. Typically,the residual moisture content of the lyophilized product can be reducedby increased shelf temperature and time duration of the secondarydrying.

The present application provides a unique lyophilization process that issubstantially different from the conventional lyophilization processesby conducting a secondary drying at controlled rate of desorption toachieve a target percentage of residual solvent. In some embodiments,there is no distinguished secondary drying. In some exemplaryembodiments, the secondary drying of the lyophilization process of thepresent application can be conducted under controlled rate of desorptionto achieve a target weight percentage of residual moisture of thelyophilized products, such as about 4.0%, about 4.5% or about 3-5%. Insome aspects, the secondary drying of the lyophilization process of thepresent application can be conducted under controlled rate ofdesorption, wherein the shelf temperature of the secondary drying in thelyophilization process of the present application can be much lower thanthe shelf temperature of the conventional secondary drying. For example,secondary drying of the present application can be considered as anextension of the primary drying, which is conducted at low temperature,such as about −20° C., in the range of from about −10° C. to about −30°C., in the range of from about 0° C. to about −30° C., at a temperaturewhich is same as the shelf temperature of the primary drying, at atemperature which is slightly higher than the shelf temperature of theprimary drying or at a temperature which is slightly lower than theshelf temperature of the primary drying as shown in FIG. 3 . Incontrast, conventional secondary drying is conducted at hightemperature, such as about 40° C. or in the range of from about 35° C.to about 55° C.

During primary drying, a sublimation front moves through the product todeposit dried product, for example, cake, above the ice surfaceinterface and to sublime ice crystals. A desirable cake has mostlyuniform appearance with some minor flaking or crumbling along thesurfaces or edges. The dried product of the protein formulation afterthe completion of sublimation can have 5-10% moisture content due to thepresence of bound water molecules which are attached to the products. Ingeneral, frozen products can be categorized as either crystalline oramorphous glass in structure. Glass transition temperatures (Tg′) of thefrozen product have been found to be strongly correlated with thecollapse temperature (Tc) of the lyophilized cake during primary drying.The glass transition temperature can be considered as a temperatureregion where the dried product transitions from a rigid glassy state toa pliable rubbery state with higher mobility. The integrity of the cakestructure can be maintained in glass state with negligible mobility whenthe product temperature is maintained below Tg′. It is important tomaintain the product temperature during primary drying to be below Tg′of the protein formulation to prevent collapse of the cake. (Chang etal.) When cake becomes soft, the cake structure often cannot bemaintained.

It is desirable that the cake has no sign of collapse or melt-backduring freeze-drying. A desirable good cake possesses a rigidmacroscopic structure and should not have collapse, discoloring andmelt-back. The collapse (or partial collapse) of the cake can be due tothe eutectic melting of crystalline agents in product formulation (atice sublimation interface) during primary drying. It is desirable tokeep the product temperature below the eutectic melting temperature ofthe crystalline components of the product formulation during primarydrying. (Chang et al.) Melt-back of the cake can be considered as a formof partial or complete cake collapse caused by incomplete icesublimation during primary drying. The product temperature is correlatedto the vapor pressure at the ice sublimation interface. The vaporpressure is dependent on the rate of heat transfer into the productcontrolled by shelf temperature and the set point of the system vacuumlevel. The target product temperature can be maintained properly bycontrolling the shelf temperature and the system vacuum level (pressure)during primary drying.

In one embodiment, the process includes the steps of obtaining anaqueous sample containing a protein and an excipient in a container. Thecontainer can be a vial, a glass vial, a syringe barrel, or a chamber ofa dual chamber auto-injector. The container can be sufficiently open toallow outgassing of water vapor. The container containing the aqueoussample is placed into a chamber and heat can be removed from the sampleto attain a first temperature, wherein ice crystals form in the sample.Air can be removed from the chamber to attain a first pressure. Thermalenergy can then be added to the sample to attain a second temperature topermit removal of the water from the sample by sublimation. Residualwater may remain entrapped within the sample after sublimation, whichcan be removed through a second drying step. In one aspect, during theinitial freezing and primary drying step, heat can be removed from theaqueous sample at a rate of about 0.5° C. per minute. In one aspect, thefirst temperature is about −45° C.

An excipient is an ingredient added alongside an active drug substancein a pharmaceutical formulation. Excipients can help to stabilize thedrug substance and/or add bulk to the formulation. The term ingredientcan be used interchangeably with excipients. Excipients include varioussubstances for various purposes like buffering, bulking, solubilizing,stabilizing, plasticizing, and protecting the drug substance.Protectants can protect against thermal stress and/or physical stresslike agitation. Cryoprotectants can protect protein from freezingstresses such as ice interface stress and freezing concentration stress.Lyoprotectants can protect protein from freezing and dehydrationstresses. Excipients may include stabilizers. A stabilizer can be addedto the pre-lyophilized solution to stabilize the protein againstaggregation or other degradation. Stabilization may occur by controllingthe glass dynamics during the lyophilization process or by helping topreserve the native structure of the protein through specificinteraction of the stabilizer with the protein.

The needs of generating biopharmaceutical formulations which havestabilities for long-term storage at room temperature have led to anincreasing demand for developing lyophilization processes. Thisdisclosure provides methods to satisfy the aforementioned demands byproviding methods for lyophilization of biopharmaceutical formulationsto generate lyophilized products which have desirable characteristicsand residual moisture contents.

Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein satisfy the aforementioneddemands by providing lyophilization processes to obtain a targetpercentage of residual moisture of a lyophilized product which is stablefor room temperature storage or has improved stability for refrigerationstorage.

The term “a” should be understood to mean “at least one”; and the terms“about” and “approximately” should be understood to permit standardvariation as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art;and where ranges are provided, endpoints are included.

As used herein, the terms “include,” “includes,” and “including,” aremeant to be non-limiting and are understood to mean “comprise,”“comprises,” and “comprising,” respectively.

In some exemplary embodiments, this disclosure provides a method ofpreparing a lyophilized cake, comprising: preparing a formulation,wherein the formulation comprises at least one solvent molecule and apeptide or protein; subjecting the formulation to lyophilization toobtain the lyophilized cake, comprising: (a) placing the formulation ina chamber of a freeze-dryer, such as placing the formulation incontainers/vials on the shelves of the lyophilization chamber of thefreeze-dryer, (b) freezing the formulation, (c) conducting first drying(primary drying) on the formulation to remove the at least one frozensolvent molecule by sublimation, wherein the first drying is conductedat a shelf temperature of the freeze-dryer that is equal to or below 0°C., and (d) conducting second drying (secondary drying) on theformulation to remove the at least one solvent molecule to obtain atarget weight percentage of the at least one solvent molecule in thelyophilized cake, wherein the second drying is conducted at the shelftemperature of the freeze-dryer that is equal to or below 0° C.Alternatively, the lyophilization can be conducted without adistinguished secondary drying step.

As used herein, the term “sublimation” refers to a phenomenon inlyophilization (freeze-drying) that water molecules (solvent molecules)pass directly from solid state (ice) to the vapor state without passingthrough the liquid state. During lyophilization, the product is frozenand placed under a vacuum, allowing ice to change directly from a solidstate to a vapor state without passing through a liquid state.Sublimation is an endothermic process which occurs at temperatures andpressures which are below a substance's triple point in the phasediagram corresponding to the lowest pressure at which the substance canexist as a liquid. Sublimation of water can take place at pressures andtemperatures below triple point, for example, 4.579 mmHg and 0.0099° C.The rate of sublimation of ice from a frozen product depends upon thedifference in vapor pressure of the product at ice sublimation interfacecompared to the vapor pressure of the lyophilization chamber which isusually slightly above or equal to the pressure of the cold trap(Nireesha et al., Lyophilization/freeze drying—an review, InternationalJournal of Novel Trends in Pharmaceutical Sciences, page 87-98, volume3, No. 4, October, 2013; Chang et al.). The rate of sublimation of icefrom a frozen product also depends upon the dry cake resistance to thevapor transfer from the ice sublimation interface.

As used herein, the term “freeze-dryer” refers to a system comprises:(a) a lyophilization chamber with shelves where the filled vials areloaded for conducting lyophilization, (b) a condenser for capturing thesublimed water vapor as ice, (c) a refrigeration and a heating unit thatfacilitates temperature control, and (d) a vacuum pump that can reducechamber pressure to subatmospheric values. Chamber pressure of thefreeze-dryer is maintained at a setpoint by introducing an inert, drybleed gas in a controlled manner (normally nitrogen gas). In most case,the lyophilization chamber is separated from the condenser via a mainvalve. The product vials are loaded to the shelves of the chamber withcontrolled shelf temperatures. (Chang et al.)

As used herein, the term “peptide” or “protein” includes any amino acidpolymer having covalently linked amide bonds. Proteins comprise one ormore amino acid polymer chains, generally known in the art as “peptide”or “polypeptides”. A protein may contain one or multiple polypeptides toform a single functioning biomolecule. In some exemplary embodiments,the protein can be an antibody, a bispecific antibody, a multi-specificantibody, antibody fragment, monoclonal antibody, host-cell protein orcombinations thereof.

In one aspect, the peptide or protein in the formulation of the presentapplication is an antibody, an antibody fragment, a Fab region of anantibody, an antibody-drug conjugate, a fusion protein, a proteinpharmaceutical product or a drug.

As used herein, the term “antibody” refers to immunoglobulin moleculesconsisting of four polypeptide chains, two heavy (H) chains and twolight (L) chains inter-connected by disulfide bonds. Each heavy chainhas a heavy chain variable region (HCVR or VH) and a heavy chainconstant region. The heavy chain constant region contains three domains,CH1, CH2 and CH3. Each light chain has of a light chain variable regionand a light chain constant region. The light chain constant regionconsists of one domain (CL). The VH and VL regions can be furthersubdivided into regions of hypervariability, termed complementaritydetermining regions (CDR), interspersed with regions that are moreconserved, termed framework regions (FR). Each VH and VL can be composedof three CDRs and four FRs, arranged from amino-terminus tocarboxy-terminus in the following order: FR1, CDR1, FR2, CDR2, FR3,CDR3, FR4. The term “antibody” includes reference to both glycosylatedand non-glycosylated immunoglobulins of any isotype or subclass. Theterm “antibody” is inclusive of, but not limited to, those that areprepared, expressed, created or isolated by recombinant means, such asantibodies isolated from a host cell transfected to express theantibody. An IgG comprises a subset of antibodies.

As used herein, the term “antibody fragment” includes a portion of anintact antibody, such as, for example, the antigen-binding or variableregion of an antibody. Examples of antibody fragments include, but arenot limited to, a Fab fragment, a Fab′ fragment, a F(ab′)2 fragment, aFc fragment, a scFv fragment, a Fv fragment, a dsFv diabody, a dAbfragment, a Fd′ fragment, a Fd fragment, and an isolated complementaritydetermining region (CDR) region, as well as triabodies, tetrabodies,linear antibodies, single-chain antibody molecules, and multi specificantibodies formed from antibody fragments. Fv fragments are thecombination of the variable regions of the immunoglobulin heavy andlight chains, and ScFv proteins are recombinant single chain polypeptidemolecules in which immunoglobulin light and heavy chain variable regionsare connected by a peptide linker. An antibody fragment may be producedby various means. For example, an antibody fragment may be enzymaticallyor chemically produced by fragmentation of an intact antibody and/or itmay be recombinantly produced from a gene encoding the partial antibodysequence. Alternatively or additionally, an antibody fragment may bewholly or partially synthetically produced. An antibody fragment mayoptionally comprise a single chain antibody fragment. Alternatively oradditionally, an antibody fragment may comprise multiple chains that arelinked together, for example, by disulfide linkages. An antibodyfragment may optionally comprise a multi-molecular complex.

As used herein, the term “antibody-drug conjugate”, or “ADC” can referto antibody attached to biologically active drug(s) by linker(s) withlabile bond(s). An ADC can comprise several molecules of a biologicallyactive drug (or the payload) which can be covalently linked to sidechains of amino acid residues of an antibody (Siler Panowski et al.,Site-specific antibody drug conjugates for cancer therapy, 6 mAbs 34-45(2013)). An antibody used for an ADC can be capable of binding withsufficient affinity for selective accumulation and durable retention ata target site. Most ADCs can have Kd values in the nanomolar range. Thepayload can have potency in the nanomolar/picomolar range and can becapable of reaching intracellular concentrations achievable followingdistribution of the ADC into target tissue. Finally, the linker thatforms the connection between the payload and the antibody can be capableof being sufficiently stable in circulation to take advantage of thepharmacokinetic properties of the antibody moiety (e.g., long half-life)and to allow the payload to remain attached to the antibody as itdistributes into tissues, yet should allow for efficient release of thebiologically active drug once the ADC can be taken up into target cells.The linker can be: those that are non-cleavable during cellularprocessing and those that are cleavable once the ADC has reached thetarget site. With non-cleavable linkers, the biologically active drugreleased within the call includes the payload and all elements of thelinker still attached to an amino acid residue of the antibody,typically a lysine or cysteine residue, following complete proteolyticdegradation of the ADC within the lysosome. Cleavable linkers are thosewhose structure includes a site of cleavage between the payload and theamino acid attachment site on the antibody. Cleavage mechanisms caninclude hydrolysis of acid-labile bonds in acidic intracellularcompartments, enzymatic cleavage of amide or ester bonds by anintracellular protease or esterase, and reductive cleavage of disulfidebonds by the reducing environment inside cells.

As used herein, the term “protein pharmaceutical product” includes anactive ingredient which can be fully or partially biological in nature.In some exemplary embodiments, the protein pharmaceutical product cancomprise a peptide, a protein, a fusion protein, an antibody, anantigen, vaccine, a peptide-drug conjugate, an antibody-drug conjugate,a protein-drug conjugate, cells, tissues, or combinations thereof. Insome other exemplary embodiments, the protein pharmaceutical product cancomprise a recombinant, engineered, modified, mutated, or truncatedversion of a peptide, a protein, a fusion protein, an antibody, anantigen, vaccine, a peptide-drug conjugate, an antibody-drug conjugate,a protein-drug conjugate, cells, tissues, or combinations thereof.

Exemplary Embodiments

Embodiments disclosed herein provide compositions and methods forconducting lyophilization to obtain a target percentage of residualmoisture of a lyophilized product which is stable for room temperaturestorage or has improved stability for refrigeration storage.

In some exemplary embodiments, this disclosure provides a lyophilizedcake which has a target weight percentage of the at least one solventmolecule in the lyophilized cake, such as about 3-6%, about 4%, about4.5%, about 2-5.5%, about 2.5-6%, about 3-4.5%, about 3.5-6.5%, about4-5%, about 4.1%, about 4.2%, about 4.3%, about 4.4%, about 4.6%, about4.7%, about 4.8% or about 4.9%.

In some exemplary embodiments, the shelf temperature of the freeze-dryerfor conducting second drying can be the same as the shelf temperature ofthe freeze-dryer for conducting first drying (primary drying). In someaspects, the shelf temperature of the freeze-dryer for second drying(secondary drying) can be slightly higher than the shelf temperature ofthe freeze-dryer for first drying. In some aspects, the shelftemperature of the freeze-dryer for second drying can be lower than theshelf temperature of the freeze-dryer for first drying. In some aspects,the difference between the shelf temperature of the freeze-dryer forsecond drying and the shelf temperature of the freeze-dryer for firstdrying can be about 0-25° C., about 0-20° C., about 0-15° C., about0-10° C., about 0-5° C., about 0-3° C., about 0-2° C., about 1° C.,about 2° C., about 3° C., about 4° C., about 5° C., about 6° C., about7° C., about 8° C., about 9° C. or about 10° C.

In some exemplary embodiments, the method of the present applicationfurther comprises determining an ending of the first drying (primarydrying) based on a change of a PG pressure in the chamber of thefreeze-dryer. In some aspects, the changes of pressures in the chamberof the freeze-dryer are measured by Pirani gauge and/or capacitancemanometer. The differences between the measurements of Pirani gauge (PG)and capacitance manometer (CM), for example, PG-CM, are used asindicators to define the ending of the first drying or the ending of thesecondary drying. In some aspects, the chamber pressure of thefreeze-dryer can be maintained at a typical condition at about 100 mTorror other typical condition, such as 50 or 200 mTorr.

In some exemplary embodiments, the formulation of the presentapplication is subjected to lyophilization to obtain the lyophilizedcake by placing the formulation in a chamber of a freeze-dryer. Theformulation can be transferred to vials, such as glass vials, then thevials are placed in the chamber of the freeze-dryer. The fill depth ofthe vial is about 1 cm, about 1.5 cm, about 0.8 cm, about 0.9 cm, about1.1 cm, about 1.2 cm, about 1.3 cm, about 1.4 cm, about 1.6 cm, about1.7 cm, about 1.8 cm, about 1.9 cm or about 2 cm. The glass vial size isabout 2 mL, about 5 mL, about 10 mL, about 20 mL, about 6 mL, about 7mL, about 8 mL, about 9 mL, about 15 mL, about 25 mL, about 30 mL, about40 mL or about 50 mL. The loading of the glass vials to the freeze-dryercan be full shelf load or partial shelf load.

In some exemplary embodiments, the formulation of the presentapplication further comprises a buffer, an excipient, a stabilizer, acryo-protectant, a lyo-protectant, a bulking agent, a plasticizer, or acombination thereof; wherein the stabilizer is polyol, sucrose,mannitol, trehalose, sorbital, amino acid, or a combination thereof;wherein the cryo-protectant or lyo-protectant is surfactant, sugar,salt, amino acid, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the buffercomprises acetate or histidine hydrochloride, the buffer has a pH valueof about 5.3, and the excipient is polysorbate 80. In some aspects, thestabilizer can be sucrose, wherein the ratio of sucrose to the peptideor protein is about 1:1, such as containing 50 mg/mL sucrose and 50mg/mL protein. Some formulations comprises sucrose and protein at theratio of about 1:1, about 3:1, about 10:1, or about from 1:1 to 10:1. Insome aspects, the stabilizers include glycerol, mannitol, trehalose,sorbitol, sucrose, arginine hydrochloride, alanine, proline, glycine,sodium chloride, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, thestabilizer makes up from about 19.9% to about 82.2% of the weight of thelyophilized cake. In some aspects, the stabilizer is sucrose, and thestabilizer makes up from about 3% to about 15%, preferably about 5-11%,4-7.5%, or 5-7.5% of the weight of the lyophilized cake, depending onthe presence of other stabilizer components and the amount of protein,water, and other excipients. In an aspect, the ratio of protein tostabilizer by weight is between 1:1-3:1, preferably 1.2:1-2:1, morepreferably about 1.5:1. In some aspects, the excipient comprises asurfactant, such as about 0.01% to about 0.96% surfactant. Thesurfactant may comprise a nonionic detergent, such as a fatty acylatedpolyethoxylated sorbitan. In some aspects, the pharmaceuticallyacceptable lyophilized cake is prepared from a pre-lyophilized aqueoussolution, e.g., a protein formulation, which is prepared by combining aprotein, a buffer, a nonionic surfactant, and one or more stabilizers inwater. The solution is then freeze-dried to prepare a cake containing adesirable target residual moisture content.

It is understood that the method is not limited to any of the aforesaidlyophilization processes, formulations, freeze-dryer, methods ofpressure measurements, pharmaceutical products, peptides, proteins orantibodies. The consecutive labeling of method steps as provided hereinwith numbers and/or letters is not meant to limit the method or anyembodiments thereof to the particular indicated order.

Various publications, including patents, patent applications, publishedpatent applications, accession numbers, technical articles and scholarlyarticles are cited throughout the specification. Each of these citedreferences is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and forall purposes. Unless described otherwise, all technical and scientificterms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one ofordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

This disclosure will be more fully understood by reference to thefollowing Examples, which are provided to describe this disclosure ingreater detail. They are intended to illustrate and should not beconstrued as limiting the scope of this disclosure.

EXAMPLES Methods 1. Determination of Residual Moisture

According to Patel et al., the percentages of residual moisture insamples during lyophilization were determined using gravimetric methodor Karl Fisher method. Vials containing lyophilized samples wereretrieved using a sample thief. If the selected sample vial had acomplete melt-back after warming to room temperature due to the presenceof residual ice, the residual moisture was calculated gravimetrically.If the selected sample vial retained the cake structure, the residualmoisture was determined using Karl Fisher residual moisture analyzer. Insome embodiments of the present application, in order to retrieve thevials containing lyophilized samples, the lyophilization run was stoppedfor retrieving the samples. Subsequently, the lyophilization run wasrestarted. In some embodiments of the present application, a Vapor Pro®moisture analyzer (Arizona Instrument LLC) was used to analyze thepercentages of residual moisture in samples. A sample was heated in theVapor Pro moisture analyzer and the evolved volatiles were passed to ananalysis cell for the measurements of the moisture content of theflowing gas for converting into total water to calculate waterpercentages.

Example 1. Determining the Completion of Primary Drying

Previous studies were conducted to investigate the product stabilitiesof lyophilized protein formulations. The results indicated that thelyophilized products containing about 0% moisture content had relativelylower stabilities with the formation of higher amount of high molecularweight (HMW) aggregations. The lyophilized products containing about3-5% moisture content had higher stabilities with lower amount of HMWaggregations. The target residual moisture content of the lyophilizedproduct for achieving optimal stability under the storage condition at25° C. was estimated to be about 4.0%, about 4.5% or about 3-5%.

In order to reach the target residual moisture content of thelyophilized product at about 4.0%, about 4.5% or about 3-5% forachieving optimal stability under the storage condition at 25° C., thecompletion of primary drying, for example, sublimation, was determinedduring lyophilization processes. The apparent end point of primarydrying, for example, onset, midpoint and offset, were determined bymeasurements of Pirani gauge at different time points of primary dryingtime as shown in FIG. 4 according to Patel et al. According to Patel etal., the profile of residual water percentages from the incomplete icesublimation is relevant to chamber pressures which are measured byPirani gauge and/or a capacitance manometer. The differences between themeasurements of the Pirani gauge (PG) and capacitance manometer (CM),for example, PG-CM, were used as indicators to define global offsetpoint which indicated the completion of sublimation (primary drying) inlyophilization processes. The experiments were conducted using proteinformulations containing 5% sucrose or 5% mannitol. The measurements ofPG-CM corresponding to the onset point had about 25% residual moisturein the sample as shown in FIG. 4 . The measurements of PG-CMcorresponding to the midpoint had about 9% residual moisture in thesample as shown in FIG. 4 . The measurements of PG-CM corresponding tothe offset point had about 5% residual moisture when ice sublimationfully complete in the sample as shown in FIG. 4 . The proteinformulation containing 5% sucrose had about 5% residual moisture atoffset point. The protein formulation containing 5% mannitol had about4% residual moisture at offset point.

Example 2. Develop Lyophilization Processes to Achieve Target ResidualMoisture Contents

In order to achieve target residual moisture content at about 3-5% ofthe lyophilized product, various experimental parameters of thelyophilization processes were tested. Various shelf temperatures ofprimary drying were tested, such as 0° C., −10° C., −20° C. or −30° C.Secondary drying (or extension of primary drying) was conducted afterthe completion of sublimation (e.g., primary drying). Several shelftemperatures of secondary drying, such as 0° C., −10° C., −20° C. or−30° C., were tested to investigate the changes of rate of desorptionduring secondary drying. The shelf temperature of secondary drying inthe experimental designs of the present application was substantiallylower than that of conventional secondary drying, since conventionalsecondary drying was commonly conducted at higher temperatures to reachless than about 1% or about 2% residual moisture content, such as about40° C., about 35° C.-55° C. or about 25° C.-55° C. In contrast, in orderto reach a slow rate of desorption, secondary drying of the presentapplication was conducted at a temperature which was same as the shelftemperature of the primary drying, a temperature which was slightlyhigher than the shelf temperature of the primary drying or a temperaturewhich was lower than the shelf temperature of the primary drying, asshown in FIG. 3 .

The chamber pressure of the freeze-dryer was maintained at a typicalcondition at about 100 mTorr. Various protein formulations were testedincluding a protein formulation containing sucrose at the 1:1 ratio forprotein to sucrose, such as containing 50 mg/mL protein and 50 mg/mLsucrose. The fill depth of the glass vial was about 1 cm, such as 2.5 mLfill in 5 mL glass vial. A controlled nucleation step was used duringthe freezing stage of the lyophilization process, since how a productfreezes can impact its subsequent drying behavior and the final productquality attributes. Controlled nucleation can promote rapid rate ofcrystallization, such as formation of larger ice crystal. Large icecrystals can impose a lower resistance to water vapor flow from the icesublimation interface to reduce the time required for primary drying.Additionally, controlling nucleation during freezing leads to lessvariability within a batch and between batches. Vials were removed atvarious time points for analysis including examining the appearance ofcake, the moisture content and the glass transition temperature. Proteinformulations containing MABB (a monoclonal antibody) were used for thelyophilization, such as a formulated drug substance comprising 50 mg/mLMABB, 10 mM acetate, 25 mM arginine hydrochloride, 0.2% polysorbate 80and 5% sucrose at pH 5.3. The ratio of sucrose to protein was 1:1.

The secondary drying was conducted at same shelf temperature of theprimary drying by extending the primary drying. Shelf temperatures at 0°C., −10° C., −20° C. and −30° C. were tested. The rates of desorptionafter the completion of sublimation were analyzed by determining thepercentages of residual water at different time points as shown in FIG.5 . The percentages of residual water in corresponding to differentdrying time points showed an exponential decay curve. The residual watercontent decreased at a rate proportional to its current rate initiallywith increased drying time. Eventually the decay reached a plateauapproaching a constant value. When the shelf temperature was maintainedat −30° C., the decay of the residual water content reached a plateauclose to 3.5% which was within the range of the target weight percentageof residual moisture at 3-5% as shown in FIG. 5 . Since the end valuewas within the range of the target percentage, the drying time can beextended without further reduction of the moisture content for shelftemperature of −30° C.

As shown in FIG. 5 , when the shelf temperature was maintained at −20°C., the decay of the residual water content reached a plateau close to2.5% which was outside the range of the target weight percentage ofresidual moisture at 3-5%. When the shelf temperature was maintained at−10° C., the decay of the residual water content reached a plateau closeto 2.1%, which was outside the range of the target weight percentage ofresidual moisture at 3-5%. When the shelf temperature was maintained at0° C., the decay of the residual water content reached a plateau closeto 1.2%, which was outside the range of the target weight percentage ofresidual moisture at 3-5%. Therefore, for the shelf temperatures whichwere higher, such as −20° C., −10° C. or 0° C., the drying time neededto be controlled in order to reach the target weight percentage ofresidual moisture at 3-5%. The drying time to achieve a target moisturecontent in the lyophilized product at a given shelf temperature can becalculated by the exponential decay equation knowing the desorption rateat the shelf temperature. When the shelf temperature was relativelyhigher, the drying time after the completion of sublimation wasrelatively shorter to sufficiently reduce moisture content to targetpercentage by controlling rate of desorption.

Example 3. Product Glass Transition Temperature

Glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the lyophilized proteinformulations in corresponding to the percentages of residual moistureswere analyzed. Protein formulations contained 50 mg/mL MABB (amonoclonal antibody), 5% sucrose, 25 mM arginine hydrochloride, 10 mMacetate and 0.2% polysorbate 80 at pH 5.3 were lyophilized. As shown inFIG. 6 , Tg decreased significantly, when the percentages of residualmoistures increased. The recommended storage temperature was below 52°C. for 2.5% residual moisture, 43° C. for 3.3% residual moisture, 42° C.for 3.6% residual moisture, 33° C. for 4.9% residual moisture and 25° C.for 6.6% residual moisture. For a room temperature storage product, themoisture content of this formulation was preferably not above 5%.

Example 4. Appearance of the Lyophilized Cake

Various lyophilization cycles were tested to examine the appearance ofthe lyophilized cakes. It is desirable that the cake has no sign ofcollapse or melt-back during freeze-drying. Melt-back of the cake can bedue to the eutectic melting of crystalline agents in product formulationat the ice sublimation interface during primary drying. Melt-back of thecake can be considered as a form of partial or complete cake collapsecaused by incomplete ice sublimation during primary drying. A desirablecake has mostly uniform appearance with some minor flaking or crumblingalong the surfaces or edges.

Six different cycles of lyophilization were tested using the shelftemperatures of primary drying at −20° C. or −30° C. as shown inTable 1. Protein formulations containing MABB (a monoclonal antibody)were used for the lyophilization using a formulated drug substancecomprising 50 mg/mL MABB, 10 mM acetate, 25 mM arginine hydrochloride,0.2% polysorbate 80 and 5% sucrose at pH 5.3. The ratio of sucrose toprotein was 1:1.

TABLE 1 Primary drying conditions Absolute difference Controlled TsChamber (PG − CM) at ~approx Cycle Nucleation (Shelf Temp, Pressure =end of cycle No. at −5° C. ° C.) CM (mTorr) (mTorr) 1 Yes −20 100 40 2Yes −20 100 5 3 Yes −30 100 5 4 Yes −20 100 1 5 Yes −30 100 0 6 Yes −30100 15

The chamber pressure of the freeze-dryer was maintained at a typicalcondition at about 100 mTorr. A controlled nucleation step at −5° C. wasused during the freezing stage of the lyophilization process. Chamberpressures of the freeze-dryer were measured by Pirani gauge and acapacitance manometer. The differences between the measurements of thePirani gauge (PG) and capacitance manometer (CM), for example, PG-CM,were used as indicators to define global end point of the completion ofsublimation (primary drying) in lyophilization processes.

When the desirable absolute pressure difference, for example, PG-CM, wasmet, the lyophilization processes for the primary drying were completed.The tested results are shown in Table 2. The cakes of cycles 1 and 6showed the form of melt-back which indicated the presence of ice due tothe incompletion of the sublimation, when the difference (PG-CM) islarge (15 mTorr or above). The cakes of cycles 2-5 showed the appearanceof good cakes, for example, not having collapse, discoloring andmelt-back, indicating the completion of ice sublimation when thedifference (PG-CM) is small (5 mTorr or below). After the completion ofsublimation, the percentage of the residual moisture content of thelyophilization products were used to model the rate of desorptioncurves.

TABLE 2 Testing absolute pressure difference Cycle Ts PG − CMLyophilized Cake No. (Shelf Temp, ° C.) (mTorr) Appearance 1 −20 40Melt-back 2 −20 5 Good Cake 3 −30 5 Good Cake 4 −20 1 Good Cake 5 −30 0Good Cake 6 −30 15 Melt-back

Example 5. Lyophilization Processes with Longer Duration Time

Lyophilization cycles with longer duration time and larger number ofvials were tested using the shelf temperatures at −20° C. Proteinformulations containing MABB (a monoclonal antibody) were used for thelyophilization using a formulated drug substance comprising 50 mg/mLMABB, 10 mM acetate, 25 mM arginine hydrochloride, 0.2% polysorbate 80and 5% sucrose at pH 5.3. The ratio of sucrose to protein was 1:1. Thefill depth of the glass vial was about 1 cm, such as 2.5 mL fill in 5 mLglass vial. Twenty-seven vials were tested. The chamber pressure of thefreeze-dryer was maintained at a typical condition at about 100 mTorr.

The end point of the primary drying (sublimation) was dependent on load.As shown in FIG. 7 , the end of sublimation occurred with the PGpressure curve showing an offset transition, when the value of (PG-CM)reached 2, for example, the completion of primary drying. The residualmoisture content gradually decreased after the completion of sublimationto reach the target weight percentage of residual moisture at 3-5%, suchas reduced to 4.3% or 3.8% as indicated in FIG. 7 . When thelyophilization process continued for longer duration, the residualmoisture content did not reduce significantly which was still within theacceptable range of 3-5%. When the duration time of the lyophilizationwas extended to several day, the residual moisture content reached 2.5%.

The rates of desorption after completion of sublimation were analyzedusing shelf temperature of −20° C. or −30° C. As shown in FIG. 8 , themoisture content (Y axis) reached 9% after completion of sublimation(primary drying) for shelf temperature of −30° C. The secondary drying(desorption) (or extended primary drying) was conducted by controllingrate of desorption at shelf temperature of −30° C. with extendedduration time, such as 50 hr, 100 hr, 150 hr or longer as indicated in Xaxis of FIG. 8 , for example, time from offset point of PG pressurecurve (end of ice sublimation). The obtained residual moisture contentswere within the range of target weight percentage of residual moistureat 3-5% for shelf temperature of −30° C. for extended duration time fromabout 30 hr up to 150 hr or longer. As shown in FIG. 8 , the moisturecontent reached 7% after completion of sublimation (primary drying) forshelf temperature of −20° C. The secondary drying (desorption) wasconducted by controlling rate of desorption at shelf temperature of −20°C. with extended duration time, such as 50 hr, 100 hr, 150 hr or longeras indicated in X axis of FIG. 8 , for example, time from offset pointof PG pressure curve (end of ice sublimation). The obtained residualmoisture contents were within the range of target weight percentage ofresidual moisture at 3-5% for shelf temperature of −20° C. within 50 hrduration time. The obtained residual moisture contents were slightlybelow the target percentage of residual moisture content for extendedduration time up to 150 hr or longer for shelf temperature of −20° C.indicating the desorption time should be controlled within 50 hrs at−20° C. shelf temperature preferably between 10 to 30 hours.

The design of experiments (DOE) for developing lyophilization wasconducted as shown in Table 3. The protein concentrations were tested at5-15%. Sucrose concentrations were tested at 0-5%. The argininehydrochloride concentrations were tested at 0-2%.

TABLE 3 Design of experiment (DOE) % Arginine % Protein Buffer % SucroseHCL Comments 5% X mM of Y 0 0 Just protein (50 mg/mL) buffer and buffer5% X mM of Y 5 0 (50 mg/mL) buffer 5% X mM of Y 0 2 (50 mg/mL) buffer 5%X mM of Y 5 2 (50 mg/mL) buffer 10% X mM of Y 2.5 1 DOE midpoint (100mg/mL) buffer 15% X mM of Y 0 0 Just protein (150 mg/mL) buffer andbuffer 15% X mM of Y 5 0 (150 mg/mL) buffer 15% X mM of Y 0 2 (150mg/mL) buffer 15% X mM of Y 5 2 (150 mg/mL) buffer

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for preparing a lyophilized cake,comprising: preparing a formulation, wherein the formulation comprisesat least one solvent molecule and a peptide or protein; subjecting theformulation to lyophilization to obtain the lyophilized cake, including:placing the formulation in a chamber of a freeze-dryer, freezing theformulation, conducting drying on the formulation to remove the at leastone frozen solvent molecule by sublimation, wherein the drying isconducted at a shelf temperature of the freeze-dryer that is equal to orbelow about 0° C.; and controlling the rate of desorption of the atleast one solvent molecule by continuing the drying on the formulationto remove the at least one solvent molecule to obtain a target weightpercentage of the at least one solvent molecule in the lyophilized cake.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target weight percentage of the atleast one solvent molecule in the lyophilized cake is controlled by theshelf temperature of the freeze-dryer with a controlled drying rate. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the target weight percentage of the atleast one solvent molecule in the lyophilized cake is controlled by aduration of time.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the target weightpercentage of the at least one solvent molecule in the lyophilized cakeis about 3-5%, about 4% or about 4.5%.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe peptide or protein is an antibody, an antibody fragment, a Fabregion of an antibody, an antibody-drug conjugate, a fusion protein, aprotein pharmaceutical product or a drug.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the lyophilized cake is stable under the storage condition atroom temperature or has improved stability for refrigeration storage. 7.The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one solvent molecule is awater molecule.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determiningan ending of the drying based on a change of a pressure in the chamberof the freeze-dryer.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the formulationfurther comprises a buffer, an excipient, a stabilizer, acryo-protectant, a bulking agent, a plasticizer, or a combinationthereof.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the buffer comprises acetateand/or histidine hydrochloride.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein thebuffer has a pH value of about 5.3 to about
 6. 12. The method of claim9, wherein the excipient is polysorbate
 80. 13. The method of claim 9,wherein the stabilizer is sucrose, wherein the ratio of sucrose to thepeptide or protein is about 1:1, about 3:1, about 10:1, or about 1:1 to10:1.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the stabilizer is polyol,sucrose, mannitol, trehalose, sorbitol, an amino acid, or a combinationthereof.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein the cryo-protectant is asurfactant, sugar, salt, an amino acid, or a combination thereof.